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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
On some freeways in large cities one or very occasionally more lanes, usually the leftmost lane or lanes, may be marked with an outline diamond shape on road signs and sometimes also on the road surface. These signs indicate a restricted lane, reserved for public transport vehicles such as buses (sometimes indicated as "Rapid Transit", "Rapid Transit Department" or "RTD") and/or "car pools" (sometimes indicated as HOV, High Occupancy Vehicles). Road signs will indicate which vehicles are permitted to use a restricted lane.
A "car pool" or HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) is a car with at least a certain number of occupants. Road signs will say how many occupants are required to qualify. You don't need to be part of an official car pool or ride sharing scheme to qualify, you just have to have at least the specified minimum number of occupants in the car at the time. So if a family or other party is visiting a city and has the relevant number of occupants in the car, the vehicle definitely qualifies as a car pool and can use restricted lanes.
HOT lanes are High Occupancy Toll lanes, meaning "high occupancy or toll" lanes. These are special lanes on a multi-lane road which can be used free of charge by vehicles with enough occupants to constitute a car pool, but which are subject to a toll for other vehicles. In some cases HOT lanes can only be used by vehicles that have special electronic tags and there are no facilities to pay tolls by means of cash. HOT lanes are a relatively new development.
FAIR lanes (Fast And Intertwined Regular Lanes) are less congested lanes on a multi-lane road, for which a toll is charged. Drivers who take the alternative free lanes are offered credits which can be applied to future tolls, public transportation and public transportation parking facilities. As with HOT lanes, in some cases FAIR lanes can only be used by vehicles that have special electronic tags and there are no facilities to pay tolls by means of cash. FAIR lanes are a relatively new development.
You must only enter and leave restricted lanes at designated entry and exit points.
Beware of restricted lanes finishing and changing into shoulder lanes with little or no indication. This is particularly dangerous when the shoulder lane which is the continuation of a restricted lane has a bridge support in it or suddenly narrows as the road passes over or under a bridge or through a tunnel.
On some freeways restricted lanes have their own separate on and off ramps, since they usually need to enter and exit on the left.
The California Driver Handbook 2002 (external link verified Jul-02) says that low-emission vehicles can also use car pool lanes regardless of their number of occupants, provided they display a special sticker issued by California's Department Of Motor Vehicles (checked Jul-02).
Cycle paths and cycle lanes are sometimes also indicated by the restricted lane outline diamond symbol, usually combined with a bicycle image or the wording "Bike Lane" on the surface of the path. Cycle paths are fairly rare in towns. They are perhaps more common in recreational areas such as National Parks. Cycle paths tend to be physically separated from roads but are sometimes adjacent to pedestrian footpaths and sidewalks. Oval signs with their longer axis vertical, green backgrounds and white foreground text and images are sometimes used to signpost cycle paths.
Driving - Essential Information
Driving - Road Signs, Signposts And Highway Marker Shields
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Most recently modified 3-Aug-04